Following the ravaging effects of Storm Ashley across the nation, clean-up activities have already commenced. The adverse weather conditions saw numerous households, specifically in Donegal and Galway, lose their sources of electric power after the storm resulted in uprooted trees. ESB Networks reported on Monday morning that approximately 16,000 clients remained disconnected as of 7am, mainly in Kerry, Mayo and Galway regions – with Dingle being notably affected. As of 6.30am Monday, over 100 Dublin homes had no electricity, whilst power failures were also reported in county Clare. On the aftermath of Sunday’s storm, nearly 53,000 houses were electricity-deprived.
Coastal floods were experienced in Galway’s area of Salthill due to an overflow of waves at the pier. Despite all warnings being cancelled nationwide, Met Éireann issued a fresh yellow-gale caution from Erris Head through Rossan Point to Malin Head, set to begin at 2pm on Monday and end at 5pm.
The severity of conditions during the previous day led to flight cancellations in ample numbers at airports in Belfast and Dublin. The year’s first named storm also caused various sporting events, including multiple GAA football county finals, to be delayed.
Nonetheless, Met Éireann forecasted a more placid outlook on Monday, anticipating sunny intervals alongside bits of rainfall. It predicts winds to gather speed later in the day, particularly around western and north-western coasts.
Sunday specifically saw most power cut-outs along the west coast, though significant interruptions were also observed in north Dublin. In their announcement on Sunday evening, ESB Networks stated their crews would stay vigilant and would continue to work on restoring power to residential, agricultural and commercial areas overnight, resuming their operations at the earliest on Monday.
Moreover, as per updates from Northern Ireland’s NIE Networks, less than 1,500 customers endured power outages at around 9.45pm, with the bulk of these slated for reconnection later the same night.
More than 10,000 households have had their power supply restored after an outage earlier in the day, as reported by a representative from NIE Networks. These outages were mainly caused by Storm Ashley, with gusty winds and leaf-laden trees causing damage to the electrical network, resulting in time-consuming faults. NIE Networks expressed gratitude to their customers’ patience.
Throughout the day, 11 counties across the island saw the lift of the amber and orange wind warnings, indicating the passing of the most severe weather. Met Éireann had issued an orange alert for seven counties, which lasted from 10am to 8pm on Sunday. Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland, the Met Office had an amber wind alert in effect for four counties from 1pm to 8pm on the same day.
Despite the harsh weather conditions, the forecast anticipates much drier weather in the coming days, though it may turn unsettled again later in the week. However, the Bank Holiday weekend could offer some respite with an expected drier spell.
Dublin Airport suffered the cancellation of 60 flights scheduled to take off and land on Sunday. Out of these, 27 planes had to try landing more than once and 28 were rerouted to different airports. Owing to the ensuing schedule disruptions, Dublin Airport is said to have organised extra facilities to accommodate stranded passengers early on Monday.
At Belfast City airport, Sunday saw the cancellation of 28 departures due to the storm. To prepare for these conditions, the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management, Met Éireann and other agencies in Ireland were involved, including local emergency response teams setup by the severe weather assessment team. Additionally, in Northern Ireland, multiple agencies had convened over the weekend for storm preparations, which included the deployment of temporary tidal flood defences along parts of the Lagan river in Belfast.
Heather Humphreys, the Minister for Social Protection, announced on Sunday evening that a plan for humanitarian assistance would be made accessible to individuals whose homes had been directly impacted by Storm Ashley.
This scheme is designed to offer income-based monetary help to those whose residences have suffered damage due to severe weather disturbances and are unable to cover expenses related to essential requirements, household goods and repairs to the structure.
“I am acutely aware of the significant difficulties that harsh weather is causing for people and families who have been impacted by Storm Ashley,” noted Humphreys.
An additional €3 million funding is being allocated for this initiative. The scheme’s limits will raise from €30,000 to €50,000 for single individuals, €50,000 to €90,000 for couples, and €10,000 to €15,000 for each dependent child, she further specified.
Humphreys advised homeowners interested in availing of the scheme to dial 0818 60 70 80. Other details were reported by PA.